Capítulo 1801: Chapter 1800: Reentering the Black Mist Camp
With concerns about taking Priest Augustus to Green Lake, Shard hurried back ho before Luviya served breakfast at the table. The girl with purple eyes knew that Shard was about to use the Ti Key, so she brought up the topic to pull Shard out of his frowning contemplation:
“Are you taking your cat this ti? Although Mia doesn’t like going out, for so reason, she loves going to the Fifth Era with you. This cat is really strange.”
The adorable Mia buried her head in a bowl of goat milk nearby. She showed no reaction to her na being called, clearly understanding it wasn’t Shard who called her.
“I can’t take Mia this ti. Black Mist Camp is dangerous, filled with danger everywhere. This ti, it’s not as simple as sitting by the campfire and telling stories. Besides, I suspect there are demons there. Those eerie shadows have only two possibilities, either demons or… but in any case, there must be demons there.”
Seeing Luviya’s concern, Shard shook his head:
“Don’t compare adventures in the Fifth Era with my actions in the Sixth Era. In ti exploration, demons are not the most dangerous things. This ti, I’m worried about my companions who consu their existence to obtain goods. Is it really worth it?”
“But you have no right to make decisions for others.”
Luviya reminded him, which brought Shard’s mind back to the “mole” who died in the cellar:
“Yes, I respect everyone’s choice. I just don’t want to watch familiar faces leave before my eyes.”
The items needed to be brought into the past were just the seawater used to activate the Relic Conch [Eternal Longing]. Because the exit of Coldwater Port is below the Sea Cliff Cave, Shard only went to Coldwater Port to collect the seawater just before setting off.
Out of curiosity about what Shard might encounter this ti, Luviya stayed to help “contain” Mia until his return.
Shard stood at the bedroom door with the already cracked key, waving goodbye to Luviya and the displeased cat. He then inserted the key into the lock:
“By the way, isn’t it ti to give Mia a bath again?”
“Shard, what did you say?”
“Nothing, see you later. May the World Tree protect
in the endless ti.”
[Outlander, you have entered the “Ti Corridor.”]
[ssage from the Ancient God “Father of the Infinite Tree”:]
[Sumr, Year 1576 of the Fifth Era, Western Continent, Black Mist Camp.]
[Event: Trade with the Old God-“Golden Sovereign.”]
[Duration: twenty minutes (2/3).]
[You have obtained additional information.]
[The figure of the Father of the Infinite Tree watches you.]
[The Ancient God of Ti gives you a trial.]
[Assist the mortals in completing their respective trades.]
[Father of the Infinite Tree will reward you: Sorcery-Oath Binding and a piece of true information-Silvermoon Library.]
As expected, the ti was still just a ager twenty minutes. Shard confird that the “Silvermoon Library” ntioned in the rewards had not disappeared. Only then did he smile and step forward again in the white mist.
His feet touched the ground of the dark expanse of plains, and with a leap forward, he appeared twenty ters ahead. Instantly, swirling red butterflies illuminated a small area, rushing as a torrent toward the dark black mist ahead.
The horrors of the dark wilderness had no chance to show themselves before Shard entered the mist. The moonlight at his fingertips couldn’t illuminate the surroundings, but calling forth a bit of the Fire of the Primordial provided limited illumination.
The ground behind him trembled, but the surging malice couldn’t penetrate the black mist. So Shard walked uphill, along a path almost hidden by wild grass, and after dozens of steps, he saw a light not far away. Continuing forward, a campfire appeared at the side of the path. Near the campfire was a small camp where Miss Higgins, Old Lady Miles, the Witch Empress’s elder cousin, and the timid boy Andor Ade were waiting for him.
It was hard to judge how much ti had passed. Though all three seed a bit worn out, at least they were alive. As Shard’s figure approached, the first to notice him was the young Witch, Miss Leah Higgins.
Seeing Shard’s figure erging from the black mist, she stood with relief but still asked a question:
“What did you ask
to keep for you before you left?”
Through the mist, the sound was a bit muffled, and Shard provided an answer:
“A coin.”
So the coin was tossed back to Shard by the Witch. Mrs. Miles and the boy also got up to welco Shard’s return. Even though he had done nothing, his very presence seed to bring comfort and joy to everyone, as if a bright moon had appeared in the sky shrouded by black mist.
“Was everything quiet while I was away?”
Shard sat by the campfire, stretching out his hands to the fire to dispel the abnormal chill. The red-haired Miss Witch shook her head slightly:
“No, I wanted to explore the camp again, but the lady advised
to wait for your return.”
The elderly woman smiled and nodded at Shard without further explanation, which Shard attributed to the wisdom of the aged.
“Since you’re back, did you bring back any useful information?”
The boy huddled on one side, not daring to speak, while Miss Higgins restored her sowhat excited deanor once more.
Shard nodded but didn’t imdiately take out the seawater:
“I’ve found information about the Relic Conch, but before that, I’d like to ask you a question. Where did those black coins of yours co from?”
He looked at the three, the boy was sowhat puzzled, and the old lady and the witch were also confused by the purpose of this question:
“They were given to us by His Majesty. The boy over there said last ti that a witch who sold him a map had given them to him.”
“Where did the coins co from?”
Shard asked once more, and though Miss Higgins was puzzled, she answered the sa as before, thinking Shard hadn’t heard her clearly.
So Shard asked a third ti, and this ti, the young witch hesitated a little before giving a similar answer again. By the fourth inquiry, her tone was filled with doubt, and by the sixth ti Shard asked, she was in a daze looking at the fire in front of her without speaking.
“Is that so?”
This sentence left Old Lady Miles and the boy in a daze as well, and the three of them together looked at the fire in front of them, the wavering flas altering the light and shadow on their faces, and then all three showed expressions of terror simultaneously.
Even the exceedingly aged Mrs. Miles instinctively recoiled away from the bonfire at this mont but dared not step entirely out of the light due to fear of the darkness within the black mist.
The three stood there in fear, watching Shard, who continued sitting by the fire with his back to them, and behind him, he cast no shadow whatsoever. Now those altered mories resurfaced, and they rembered everything.
“So…”
Beside the fire, Shard hunched over, watching the leaping flas, questioning with an inquisitive look:
“What exactly is inside those flas?”
The bonfire erupted silently and shot upward to the sky, and within the flas that teased Shard, countless coins erged from beneath the firewood where they had originally been invisible to the four. Each of these coins was different, yet undeniably all were currencies that circulated presently and in the past.
Individually, they were re ordinary items, but when a mass of currency surged out from beneath the woodpile and combined above the flas into a human-like giant face composed of floating firelight, the coins had an elental reaction. Even though in the mist it was impossible to use reconnaissance Arcane Techniques, when that massively faced giant face enough to drive soone with trypophobia insane paused above the cald bonfire, Shard still recognized what was in front of him:
“Another demon?”
“Why say ‘another’?” (Demon Language)
The two sunken pits were eyes, the cracked gap a strange and enormous mouth, and inside the mouth continually circulated more coins and sparks.
“Because I’ve been encountering your kind rather frequently lately.”
Shard stood up and said, brushing away the ashes from his face, turning to his companions behind him:
“Co over, here everything must follow the rules, it won’t harm you.”
Yet even with these words, none among the three, including the young High Rank Witch dared sit as they did before, only daring to stand behind Shard.
“I don’t have much ti, so let’s not play wordplay gas. I’ll guess what happened to them: They ca here, were drawn by the bonfire’s Glimr to warm themselves here, you appeared, and then turned their existence into those [Power of Existence].”
Shard looked at that giant face still clattering and changing with coins:
“Is that the case?”
“What’s interesting about speaking it aloud?”
The giant face appeared sowhat dissatisfied:
“I didn’t deceive them; I told them they needed currency to trade in the camp. I only made them forget about it afterward.”
The face suddenly moved closer to Shard, the sunken round pits forming eyes squinting, the face’s width and height nearly half Shard’s height:
“Why don’t we make a transaction too, I’ll make them forget again, and you don’t say anything. I can offer you so compensation; it’s harmless to you, as you’re a guest invited to the camp, so I can’t erase your mory.”
Shard shook his head:
“Do you think I’m a fool?”
“Don’t rush to refuse, what if I tell you that I can teach you how to turn existence into coins?”
The squinting eyes due to the coins pressing against each other opened again, accompanied by an overwhelming sound of coins colliding against each other, it smiled at Shard:
“Not only is this a way to generate Wealth, but it’s also a nifty attack technique. Imagine, using this power to battle enemies, you could easily defeat them and even gain a handso reward. This ability, I don’t teach easily to anyone.”
“If I learned it, that would an Luviya would have infinite coins that could be used for Special Divination.”
Shard told himself, then shook his head once again:
“I cannot trade with demons; cherish your soul and stay away from demons, that’s the most basic principle my teacher taught . I’ve said my ti is limited, tell
the rules.”
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